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  • Essay / « Bertrand Russell's On Denotation: A Critical Assessment

    Table of ContentsIntroductionSummaryCritiqueConclusionIntroductionPeter Frederick Strawson, in his essay "On Reference" presents arguments to explain why Bertrand Russell's essay "On Denotation" is problematic. Strawson and Russell are in conflict over the formation of a language that is precise and capable of accurately relating the truth value of the philosophical statement. Strawson basically wants to remove any sense of "bad metaphysics" or misleading terms that can create logical problems in the field of philosophy. I will state that I generally agree with Strawson's essay and provide arguments to strengthen his point of view. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essaySummary Peter Frederick Strawson, in his essay "On Referring" presents arguments for why Bertrand Russell's essay "On Denoting" is problematic. First, Strawson shows the difference between his view and Russell's through the example of the phrase "the king of France is bald" in modern day. Russell states that the statement is false if uttered today. Strawson, unlike Russell, states that the expression is neither true nor false but rather is significant. That it is not the meaning of the convention, statement or expression that makes it true or false, but rather the context in which the expression is used that makes it true or false. Russell, in comparison, argues that meaning is based on the object or property being referred to. Strawson disagrees, he argues that reference and assertion are different acts, that assertion is an act that is made possible by reference to a thing or expression. Another difference between Strawson and Russell is that Strawson agrees that we should not subscribe to Russell's use of "denoting expressions." » where we clearly categorize the meaning of words. In comparison, Strawson argues that we should classify uses of certain expressions based on their context as "single-reference uses." For example, when saying "a whale", we are not always referring to an individual whale. Gottlob Frege, in his article “On Sense and Reference,” discusses the distinction between sense and reference. He maintains that a logical subject can be stated in different senses while still having the same reference, itself. For example, a morning star and an evening star are two different meanings for the reference to Venus.CriticismFirst of all, I agree with Strawson that this is not the use of an expression but rather the general meaning of its use, its contextual application which gives an idea. meaning of expression or truth value. By advocating for a new type of language in which we try to include the definitions or specific uses or references of each term, Russell creates a language in which words that have multiple meanings based on their various contextual applications are under threat. In my opinion, although Russell is right to criticize Russell's view, Strawson's article would be stronger if it included an argument showing that Russell's view challenges areas like metaphysics. First, if we only have rigid guidelines on the use of a word, logical expression or expression as Russell advocates, then it becomes difficult to discuss issues related to abstract theories that attempt to be presented. If we want to define each expression that we have in a..